All-Inclusives in Belize (near diving)?

[susanNjay]

I am looking for some suggestions for a place to stay in Belize. My husband and I generally dive while visiting ports on cruise ships and have stayed at Iberostar in Cozumel in the past...
I have read about Tranquility Bay Resort...is that the best one?
We want to be near great dives and hopefully to eat good food.

My husband has been diving for 6 years. I have been diving for a year and a half. I have only logged 14 dives, (all in Cozumel with scubawithalison dot com) and he has logged about 30.

Thanks for any help you can give...

--Susan

 

[peterbj7]

This isn't just a cruise ship stay, is it? How long will you be here? And when?

Tranquility Bay is (I believe) a very nice place, and certainly has good diving nearby. They have their own dive center, which is small and personal (therefore flexible) and has an instructor. To the best of my knowledge though it is not an all-inclusive. In fact, I can't think of any all-inclusives on either of the two northern cayes - which isn't to say there aren't any. Perhaps someone else will post. For these two cayes I recommend you look at Belize Lodging Guide, Resorts, Hotels, Accommodations, Reservations, Rooms in Belize, a very good source of information. You will also find somewhere on All about San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize - Index a number of aerial photos of most of the resorts on Ambergris Caye.

There are other locales in Belize which may have all-inclusives beach resorts. One I know and can personally recommend is Thatch Caye Resort, about half way down Belize on its own private island just inside the reef. Upmarket, small and personal, idyllic, with superb diving locally (very different diving from that offered up here), and with its own well equipped dive center with an instructor. Because they're so small they can be very accommodating re diving. The resort is very close to being all-inclusive, about the only add-one being a bar tab and any excursions you may wish to take. But it's all totted up at the end and you don't need money, which is the key aspect of an all-inclusive.

If you've logged 14 dives in 18 months and your husband has only logged 30 in 6 years, you must have been quite an incentive for him to get back in the water!

I hope that helps for starters. I'll post again if I think of anything useful to say.

 

[Downing]

Assuming this isn't a cruise ship stay, I can absolutely recommend Turneffe Island Resort. It's about 30 miles off the mainland at the southern end of Turneffe Atoll. They handle the transportation from Belize City. You can check out their website for details.

My wife and I were there for two weeks summer before last and will probably go again next summer, which is unusual for us as there's just so much to see and do out there. Great diving and great food, all in a tropical island paradise setting.

 

[Ralph Capeling]

You might want to consider Placencia in southern Belize. It has the best beaches in Belize and being on the mainland makes it easy to do inland tours. Laughing Bird Caye is a national park and a World Heritage site and is half an hour by boat away from Placencia. Are your kids old enough to dive? Splash Dive Shop runs a program where we teach the local kids whose parents can't afford diving lessons so we have lots of experience teaching kids. We can make hotel or resort reservations for you as we partner with a number of hotels and resorts that can fit any budget and we can pick you up at the airport in Placencia.Check out our website at Belize by Splash Dive Shop located on the Placencia peninsula in southern Belize.

 

[peterbj7]

What about all-inclusives in or near Placencia? And (I know it's not in Placencia) is Hamanasi all-inclusive?

 

[Ralph Capeling]

Hamanasi is all inclusive and has a good reputation. Splash can do all inclusive or divers can book their own resort/hotel from the list on Splash's website which covers a range to fit any budget. Splash is also a tour operator so can do inland tours.

 

[peterbj7]

Not quite sure what you're saying. Splash can offer an all-inclusive holiday even though it's not a resort? It's not the same as a hotel/dive package.....

 

[Ralph Capeling]

Splash partners with a number of hotels and resorts that do not have dive shops. This means that Splash can offer accomodation that fits a range of budgets from economy to high end depending on the needs of the guest.

 

[craracer]

I second Turneffe Resort. My wife and I were there for an exceptional week last September. No, phones. No TV's. Absolutely stunning island. The food was simple and fantastic, and the staff were brilliant. It's an extremely quiet and secluded island. I think it was about an hour boat ride from Belize.

The diving was exceptional. We were there during the slow season, but they had absolutely no problem taking just the two of us out (daily) to dive. The diving rivaled Roatan, but in a different way. We went to the Blue Hole, which had amazing stalactites, tons of sharks, and BMW Mini sized fish. Some of the best diving I've done to date. The crew was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. We even talked the managers into going on a few dives with us (they used to manage a dive op in Palau). Nitrox available.

The accommodations were fantastic (we had a private cabana on the beach). Indoor and outdoor showers, AC worked great, safe in the room, gorgeous room.

PM me and I will send you a link to some photos if you would like.

 

[vladimir]

I will join in recommending the Turneffe Island Resort. I also stayed in one of the private cabanas and was quite satisfied with the accommodations and the diving. There are excellent dives a 5- or 10-minute skiff ride away. The rooms are not as deluxe as you might expect for the price--you are paying for the isolation as well as for the room. Well worth it, in my opinion. They take a maximum of 22 guests on the entire island. Insects can be an issue, depending on the weather. The food was served family style and was very good.